


Climbing out the Grave

by ChaoticBabe



Category: From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Season 3 AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-09
Updated: 2019-11-18
Packaged: 2020-11-27 22:21:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20955839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChaoticBabe/pseuds/ChaoticBabe
Summary: Death doesn't always stick, something Kate learned back in the Titty Twister. Still when her time came she was pretty sure that was the end. It wasn't.





	1. I was born Screaming

Death is not what Kate thought it would be.

Not that she expected some kind of paradise, all illusions of pearly white gates had already been wiped out before taking two to the stomach. Besides even if heaven was real she no longer belonged, wasn't even sure she cared too. Still Kate had expected something more than nothing. And that's all it was. Nothing.

A vast amount of seemingly endless dark emptiness. 

Closest thing she could compare it to was purgatory, forever stuck in between. The bible might have gotten something right after all. 

It was kind of a let down.

So many people, so many religions all theorized what the after looked like and now that Kate was experiencing it herself, she couldn't help but despair over how boring it was. At least brimstone and ash would have kept her warm. But no, she's just left to float disembodied in a constant state of stasis, all alone waiting for something else to happen. Only her thoughts to keep her company.

Just _perfect_.

How long till it drives her mad? Maybe that's the whole point.

Thankfully it turned out she didn't have to stick around long. 

In a flash she's yanked from the eternal nothingness, as she goes she swears she hears a scream. She isn't sure if it's her own or not.

She thinks no more on it when she recognizes takes in the new surroundings, the twice damned blood well which still displays her corpse. She isn't sure which place she'd least like to be, here or back in the nothingness. Before she can come to a decision Kate's once again feels herself being yanked, steadily dragged closer to her corpse. Somehow being squeezed back into body bit by bit like airing up a deflated raft, through the cut Malvado made on her hand.

But there's no pain, not at first. Just a pressure, an awkward awareness of being split apart only to be immediately be stitched back together anew, leaving her sore and stretched out. She's felt worse after morning runs. 

It feels like she's settling in some how, like curling under the comforter for a warm nap on a rainy day.

Then she's screaming, and she's sure this time it is her own cries she hears, because god she's _burning_. 

Something inside of her is boiling up, and over. Creeping into every part, an infection made from flames, slowly burning through. Death was gentler than this.

At some point she stops recognizing the screams as her own, they've turned into something inhuman, it's just a basic knowledge that they belong her. 

She has no control to stop it, no power to move of her own freewill, and _oh god_ is that her bones she hears grinding now? Yes, she's decided she was too quick to judge the emptiness of death, she'd very much like to go back now.

Eventually, it stops.

Long after she's lost her voice.

In what feels like days, that she'd only later realize was hours, one late Kate Fuller opens her eyes.

It should come as no surprise death was not permanent. Kate had seen that proven enough over the last few months that this shouldn't be so shocking. 

The dawn light reaches her eyes almost blinding, as she tries to stand on shaky legs. Kate ignores the sun in her scramble to lift her bloodied shirt up. Only to be met with the sight of clear unblemished flesh. Not a single sign that once two bullets ripped through her. Not even a scar.

Carefully she runs her fingers over her stomach and lower back, searching for any kind of proof, but coming up empty. Looking up in confusion the light once again hits her eyes, causing her to hiss in pain, throwing up an arm to block it out.

It's clear her body is not what it was.

But it's something she'll have to contemplate later, because while its clear she wasn't turned the sun is still causing discomfort. She needs to find shade first.

There's also the small fact that someone could come back to the blood-well any minute now, if not to claim one of the abandon cars then in hope of getting lucky enough to find some over looked blood. Not that Kate notices any, not even her own remains (not even a stain), as she makes her way over to the nearest tinted car.

The doors unlocked, the owner probably unworried anyone would try to steal it way out in the middle of nowhere. Hurriedly shutting the door Kate is relieved to find the tinting is so dark as to block the sun out completely. For a moment she melts back into the seat, and just breaths.

She's alive.

Looking down at her stomach she amends, well she's not dead if not exactly alive, though when she searches for a pulse she does find a worrying slow one.

Reaching up to pull the sun visor down hoping to get a look at her face a set keys falls into her lap. Well that solves that problem.

The brief relief the keys brought on is quickly wiped out with cold shock when catching sight of her face. Her eyes are as green as they ever were but her skin is pale, not just her normal white, but I haven't seen the sun in years pale. There is also the noticeable absence of any blemishes on her face, not even the nick under her chin that was from a childhood injury. Pushing the visor back in place, breathing in deep, Kate breaks out laughing.

Laughter that quickly turns hysterical.

With effort her laughter turned sobs slowly ebbs away, till finally dying out.

"Well, okay then."

Yeah, she might not be dead but all signs are pointing to not quite human anymore.

She can't focus on that right now though. She just can't. If she does she might remember the pain-

No she can't think about that at all. 

Instead she grabs the keys and starts the car, some rap song she's never heard fills it up. 

For a moment she thinks to go hunt down Seth and Richie, or possibly even Scott. But look how that ended last time, a shudder runs through her. No, she's been down that road once. Better to move on, figure this one out on her own. 

Better even to forget about them entirely. After all Richie and Scott already think she's dead. And Kate doubts Seth cares, but Richie will tell him surely. 

With that firmly in mind, Kate puts the car into drive, and drops her foot to the pedal.

Before she takes off in a swirl of dirt and dust though, Kate cracks the window just enough to throw the tiny gold cross necklace out the window.

She doesn't need it anymore. 


	2. All alone, and nowhere to go

She drives with the music blasting loud enough it threatens to pop an eardrum. The mindlessness of songs she doesn’t know is a welcoming comfort, warding off thoughts and memories that might send her into a spiraling emotional black hole. A hole that Kate feared she might not be able to climb out of .

Grief can come after she's out of Texas. Anywhere besides Texas. Or Mexico for that matter. 

Thinking of what comes next is almost as dangerous as thinking about what's already happened, if she looks too closely at the vagueness of her future it might give her a panic attack. She’s always had some kind of safety net to fall back on, even when she was running around Mexico with Seth she told herself she could head back to Bethal if things went south. 

Now she doesn’t even have a plan beyond get out of Texas. 

With a shaking hand she twist the knob on the dash to turn the music up a notch louder.

She’s got a second chance at life now. Kate plans on taking it, and she will not make the same mistakes again. Unwillingly two sharp dressed men flash across her mind. Forcing those thoughts away, back into a neat little box labeled Do Not Open. No, Kate thinks, she will not make the same mistakes twice.

Even if she's a little unsure what she wants to do with this second chance. 

* * *

It’s already late mid day by the time she stops for more than just gas. Somewhere in New Mexico, far enough away from where she started out that Kate feels relaxed enough to take care of some necessities. Mainly the fact that she only has the clothes on her back and a stolen car to her name. And while there aren't any blood stains on her cloths, just another thing for her to not think too hard about, her shirt still has two bullet holes in it.

There’s a few hundred dollar bills she’s got shoved in her pockets and bra from the job gone wrong, the rest of the money ranger Gonzalez will eventually find in the bags she left in his truck. Kate figures she owed him that anyways. 

Still she’s going to have to make that money stretch till she figures out what she wants to do. 

She ends up buying a few generic shirts and shorts at a thrift store, but doesn’t have enough nerve to shop from their used underwear section. She leaves wearing some of what she bought, smelling of mothballs and whatever air freshener the shop owner was using to cover up the stale air. It’s hardly glamorous but it’s better than continuing to wear her own shroud. 

She drives for another hour, stopping off at a Walmart to grab some toiletries. When passing the hair dye aisle she hesitates before grabbing a box. 

Getting a room at a cheap motel, the kind where the guy behind the desk never once looks you in the eye, she immediately locks the door and closes the blinds, the sun is really starting to irritate her skin. 

In the small bathroom she pulls out the box of hair dye and gets to work.

While waiting for it to set, she turns the TV on, putting the volume up high to fill the room. She leaves it on even once she goes to take a shower. 

Kate sways under the lukewarm spray, letting it wash over her. Maybe, she thinks running a hand through her hair, she can just wash all the death away. Looking down she tries not to think about how the red hair dye flowing from her head looks an awful lot like blood. Kate keeps her eyes firmly away from the bottom of the shower after that. 

Looking in the bathroom mirror later when her hair is half dry, Kate takes stock of herself. Angling her head one way and then another. Catching her own gaze she nods. She looks good, the color suits her and her now considerable paler skin tone. She looks different enough that anyone she used to know wouldn't be able to pick her out in a crowd. 

It's something the old Kate would have never done. But that’s why she did it in the first place.

* * *

At some point Kate manages to fall asleep watching an old eighties movie while avoiding facing her problems.

The first night after the titty twister Kate didn’t dream, in fact she didn’t dream for a week straight. This time she isn’t so lucky.

At some point she finds herself sitting in the back pews of her daddy’s church. With the lights off the place feels less holy, the shadows themselves are the only company she has. Facing forward, hands clasped in her lap, pastel pink dress and modest cardigan, she looks the perfect preachers daughter. 

Slowly she makes her way to the front of the church, feeling the shadows following half a step behind, slowly blacking out everything she’s past. She already knows if she looks behind she’ll find nothing but a dark familiar emptiness. 

Coming to a stop at the stop at the slightly raised stage, she brushes her fingers against the edge, finding a nick she’d carved there herself with scissors one day while waiting on her father so they could finally go home. He never even noticed. 

“Katie Cakes.”

Whipping her head around at the sound of her dreaded nickname, there a few yards away is a man. She can’t make out who it is in the dark, before she can think better of it she runs toward him. Her feet feel heavy, like she’s running through sand, every step taking more effort than the last. It’s only once she makes it to the male figure and grabs his arm that she can see his face clearly.

“Daddy?”

Preacher Fullers face smiles back at her even as his eyes turn to slits almost glowing yellow, Snake eyes. She jerked back in surprise, letting go of her grip on his arm right when he grabs her by both of hers. His hold is tight enough it’ll bruise, “Dad you’re hurting me.”

“What have you done Katie cakes?” She can’t look away from his face, unsure of just which of her many recent sins he’s come to condemn her for. 

“You’ve become a monster. Your mother would be so disappointed in you.”

Kate can’t hide a flinch at that. It’s motivation enough to start fighting against his grip, not that she needs to. Letting go of her arms she begins to fall in gaping darkness beneath her feet that has lost its solidarity. Looking up at her father, once again his face is lost to her, just a faceless stranger. Kate doesn’t even bother screaming.

Landing on her back somewhere new, finding her arms and legs tied down to a table. No, not a table, a slab of cold stone. Trying to figure out where she is distracts her enough that it takes a moment to realize something feels wrong in her stomach. Something is moving. Something is moving inside of her stomach.

Now Kate screams.

Looking down at herself to find two holes in her stomach, out of each a snake slithers out. Slowly making their way up her body, one by one more leave her. She never stops screaming. 

A soft hand caresses the side of her face almost tenderly, whispering ‘well done’ over and over again.

Kate wakes on a scratchy bedspread with a cry.

Jumping from the bed, lifting her shirt she pinches, probs, and scratches. Making sure there is _ nothing _there. 

After an unnoted amount of time Kate lays down on the bed and starts to sob, great heaving ugly cries.

And she doesn’t stop till morning light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay first off, I'll be updating this pretty randomly, mainly whenever I have time you know.  
Also I've been asked if this is Richie/Kate or Seth/Kate, and the answer is both. I haven't got an end set in my mind (just an outline). Why might you ask? Because I'm weak for Kate being loved by both of the Gecko brothers. I always felt like she fit really good between them, she seemed to be the only one besides uncle Eddie to see that the brothers needed each other. But this is mainly just an alt season three where Kate gets to be something more than a possessed body  
Anyways hope you enjoyed, tell me what you think.


	3. You’ll find no scar, but the damage is done.

At some point when the tears run dry Kate manages to drag herself from the hotel room in search of food, it’s something she’s put off till now, the turmoil of the last few days taking away her appetite. The increasingly loud growl of her stomach however leads her to a diner across the street. 

The foods good, and she eats till she could burst, yet she’s still left feeling oddly hungry. The food didn’t satisfy something, memories of fangs and blood flash behind her eyes. Shaking away the unease of the feeling she places her napkin on the table, slowly leaning back to people watch out the window. It’s a small enough town that plenty of people pass the dinner on their way to work, people just going on with their lives, it’s all so mundane that it’s hard to believe somehow. No one looking over their shoulders, no obvious signs of blood on their persons, or fear lined faces. 

It’s harder still to believe she once was like that. Catching sight of her reflection in the window, meeting her own eyes, comparing herself to the people on the other side taking in the differences that weren’t there a few months ago.

On her way out after paying, contemplating if she should stay in town for a while, it would be nice to make a plan before running off again, she’s jerked to a stop by a hand grabbing her arm. Looking back, she’s faced the the aging wrinkled face of an old man, blue eyes fever bright staring into her own. Thrown off foot Kate doesn’t get a word out before the old man begins speaking, “Loud. Your blood is loud, careful that’s how they’ll find you.” 

Kate’s sure her mouth was hanging open unattractively, but she can’t seem to shut it as the man’s grip on her arm tightens, voice growing fervent in his intensity, “That’s how they’ll find you, the snakes will find you. Best quiet their screaming.”

“My blood. What do you mean it’s loud?” her voice came out hoarse and low. 

She thinks she might have liked it better when she was playing second string to the men in her life, at least then the drama in her life wasn’t centered on her. Of course she did end up dead, so maybe not. 

His grip on her arm doesn’t loosen even as she goes to remove it as gently as possible, “Don’t you hear them screaming? It’s so loud, how can’t you hear them?”

Okay, forget gentle. Just as she’s about to start yanking, an old woman comes rushing from behind the counter berating the man in front of her. Slowly getting him to let go and back up. 

“Sorry about that, his head isn’t what it used to be.” the woman is smiling a little forced at her, she looks about his age and tired. Looking away from the man means taking notice of all the the other diner patrons staring at her. 

“He usually stays in the back, I didn’t see him leave. I’m so sorry.” Finally giving her full attention to the old lady, she shakily assures her it’s no big deal. 

“It was so loud though.” the old man defends.

Woman waves a hand and rolls her eyes, and insists Kate come back again, her meal on the house. She never does. In fact she wastes no more time leaving heads straight back to her motel room to throw everything she owns back in the car. Before sunset she’s already a state away.

Looking down at her veins, and thinks No point in taking chances.

Best not to attract such strange attention

* * *

The next few days are spent full of paranoia and restless nights filled with dreams that wake her screaming. She wishes living like this didn't feel so familiar. 

* * *

Moving from town to town, staying in cheap motels has become the norm again. It’s inexpensive enough to keep up with what she manages to pickpocket, she tries not to feel too bad about that, after all she’d done worse in mexico. 

She knows that she can’t continue this way but isn’t sure how to go forward from here, running off after waking up seemed like a good idea at the time but she hadn’t thought about the long term implications of it at the time. 

Essentially she’s no one now, a high school dropout with no skills, well no legal skills. She hasn't a clue what to do next, up till now she’s always had someone else to look after, care for in someway. Now it’s just her.

Just her in lonely motel rooms that have seen better days. 

It’s with these thoughts clouding her head while walking back to the latest motel after dinner, that once again left her filling less than full, that she’s caught by surprise, in her inattention she hadn’t realized that she was being followed. 

The shadow on the wall that’s quickly catching up with her own finally alerts her to the danger, the hair on the back of her neck standing up, she slips her hand into her coat pocket grabbing for the knife she keeps there in the absence of a gun. 

The moment her fingers wrap around the slim switchblade the guy is grabbing her from behind, left arm held firmly around her neck, and what feels like a gun pressed to her lower back. 

“Don’t scream.” She hadn’t been planning on it, half past eleven on the edge of town no one is out, that’s supposing they would bother to help in the first place. She nods her head in understanding, the situation feels surreal.

“Give me your wallet”, she can feel his breath on the back of her neck when he speaks, hot and humid, it helps to ground her in the moment, remembering the knife she still gripped in her hand hidden out of sight. 

“I said give me, your fucking money.” the impatience in his voice prompts her to nod again.

“Right, right.” 

She sounds small even to her own ears. 

Wouldn’t it just be her life to die twice in as many weeks, hell he might even shoot her in the same spot. Yeah, it would be fucking hilarious.

And just like that something snaps in her, something old and angry. The part of her that is so sick of always being the prey, the part that rages at what has become of her life, it’s an old anger somehow bigger than herself. Without much thought, Kate feels herself reach up with her empty and grasp the bare arm around her neck.

It’s electric, something that has both Kate and her attacker letting out a surprised gasp for different reasons.

The pressure from the gun is gone, and the arm she’s holding grows simultaneously limp and tense. Pulling the arm away while retaining contact Kate turns to face him.

He’s fallen on his knees, mouth open, letting out a low pain filled groan. 

White lines bulge from his skin, crisscrossing. And oh, Kate fills so alive.

His soul, she can see his soul. All of it, she can taste it, every vile thing he’s done, to the small good deeds, she knows he used to have a crush on the girl down the street growing up, his father is in jail, and he’s been drinking all night. It flows into her quickly, showing only pieces of memories and feelings at a time.

Then he goes limp. 

Releasing her grip on his arm, he falls to the grimy ground dead.

Stumbling back, Kate tries to brace herself against the brick wall. Gasping for breath, whether from exertion or fear she isn’t sure. She killed him, she ate his _ Soul _.

Fuck, what’s happening to her.

Trying to pull herself back together, she forces herself to move scampering away from the fallen body. Away from Steve, his name was Steve. Walking almost sprinting as quickly as she could without outright running, running would attract attention should someone happen to look out their window, Kate gets to her room, locking it, pushing the chair under the knob for good measure.

Standing in the middle of the room she takes in the familiar sight of her hands, as if they are some venomous snake, ready to attack at the first sign of movement.

“Oh, God.” She just killed a man. By touching him. She’s touched other people since the blood well and they hadn’t died. 

She isn’t sure what to do with this so she focuses on something else, worrying about cops as she once again throws what little she unpacked into her bags. Being arrested for murder would suck, this isn’t mexico it’s not impossible to believe that they will investigate a blatant crime here. But it’s not like she left any evidence that it was her right, she should binge watch the ID channel later, just in case. 

Once she’s in the car, which she should definitely ditch after this and get a new one in case it’s been connected to her, Kate feels dread build up in her throat as she is struck by a realization.

She finally feels full.

Somewhere in the back of her head, over the roar of the engine starting up, Kate swears she hears a woman laughing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long to update.  
-This chapter was mainly to lay some ground work to explain how Kate kinda has the same abilities that Amaru in her body had during season three.  
\- To explain the old man a little, in my head he's kinda like Richie was early in season one without the added mind control/influence of kisa. I think there are some humans in like him that are born more sensitive to the supernatural aspect of things.  
-The Geckos will appear next chapter  
Hope you enjoy


	4. Her heart sits quiet for a time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kate thinks she can be normal, she should have known better.

Kate finds running exhausting, and frankly mind numbingly boring on her own. So she stops.

The left over paranoia fades, she writes off the one old man and his warning as a strange encounter, there have been no signs anyone’s after her. 

It’s as safe as it’ll ever be to stop running from shadows.

She ends up in a town called Wintergarden, that’s less than an hour from the sea, and close to no major cities. Friendly enough to welcome strangers, but disinterested enough that she isn’t worried people will bother trying to dig to deep into her past, she looks like a sweet girl who probably just fell into some trouble. That seems like a good enough explanation for everyone, and helps explain why some days she seems to spend an inordinate amount of time looking over her shoulder.

It’s convenient so Kate sees no reason to dis-sway anyone from assumptions. 

She rents a shitty little apartment partially furnished on the second story of a building that’s seen better days. At first it feels all to temporary, at any moment, she'll be forced to hit the road. Time goes by, week by week, and it starts to feel more permanent. She even buys decorative pillows just to brighten the place up some. 

At first she pays for it with what she’s managed to save from pick-pocketing, but it runs out fast. Getting a job at a bookstore is easy, she goes in all smiles after catching sight of the help wanted sign. The old man who runs it highers her on the spot. He’s slightly hard of hearing but leaves her to managing the front on her own, never questioning why on particularly bright days she wears sunglasses inside.

Over a few short weeks Kate builds up a routine, working then walking the block to the nearby diner that has a nice view of the town lake to have dinner. Quickly striking up a friendship with an older waitress- Maddie, who thinks she should drink less coffee and get more sleep. 

Kate just laughs her off, never mentioning that it’s sleep that she dreads most these days. 

It’s nice, mundane but nice. 

Kate allows herself to relax, making friends that all think her name is Jessica. Let’s herself start putting down a few roots, even if she lies and says no when people ask if she has any siblings.

It’s a life built on lies, but it’s a life. 

Kate stops looking over her shoulder so much, no one’s looking for her, the faceless woman in her dreams laughs at this. She just drinks more coffee in hopes the caffeine will keep her awake a little longer. It never does.

Naturally this is when everything goes to shit. 

On her way to the diner after a long day of repeating herself to Mr. Reynolds who refuses to get a hearing aid claiming everyone just mumbles these days his hearing isn’t the problem, Kate finds herself stopping before the entrance. Hearing movement from the side of the building by the lake. It could just be some local teenagers sneaking around late at night, or some wild animal. 

Normally she goes to smoke a cigarette by the lake before heading home, just one more reason to delay sleep. She’s never seen anyone else when she does, or animals for that matter. Still it’s probably nothing.

Reaching for the door about to head inside she hears it again. 

Someone is definitely creeping around by the water, that was footsteps.

It’s probably nothing. Just someone else enjoying the quiet peace of the lake. 

But the street lights are misty tonight by the lake, leaving the whole area around the dinner with an eerie ambiance making it hard to see much of the lake from here. If this was a horror story Kate would stupidly walk over to investigate the noise, at which point some serial kill or monster would get her. Since Kate’s whole life is in fact a horror story she sighs and pointedly turns the other way completely bypassing the diner and goes back to her apartment. She’ll just eat leftovers.

On her way home she passes an unfamiliar SUV with heavily tinted windows.

Kate looks over her shoulder no less than ten times in the short walk home. She tells herself old habits die hard.

The next night, after eyeing the lake for a few minutes Kate makes herself at home inside a booth waiting on Maddie to take notice of her being sure to sit in her section, while quietly admonishing herself for being silly and going home last night. 

Out of the corner of her eye she sees Maddie make her way to her table. “Missed you last night hun.”

Kate can’t help but smile brightly up at the older woman, “Sorry, had a stomach ache. Stayed home.” The lie flows easily from her mouth. 

She just nods her white haired head while humming, looking out the window beside Kate. They stay like that for longer than is comfortable. 

Kate’s just about to ask what’s on her mind, it’s not like the elderly woman to be quiet for so long, when she speaks up. “There were some men in here last night.”

She turns to look Kate in the eye, “Came here looking for a girl, had a picture and everything.”

Kate goes cold, putting the fork she was fiddling with down, laying her hands flat on the table. Carefully constructing her face into one of curiosity, “Oh?”

Maddie purses her lips, “Pretty girl, lovely green eyes, she looked awfully familiar.”

She stares Kate directly in the eyes when she says, “Told them I’d never seen her before, so did Danny.”

With that some of the tension in Kate's body leaves, but only some. If someone is looking for her, managing to track her here then they aren't just going to back off with the word of a cook and waitress. 

With great sincerity she replies, “Thank you.”

She  _ knew _ something was wrong last night.

“Can you tell me what they looked like.”

Maddie sighs slipping into the both across from her. “No good, that’s what. What kind of trouble are you in, girl? They looked on the rough side, one of them might of been mexican, the other one was white, he had a beard. Pushed them on their way after they started flashing that picture around, didn't bother memorizing their faces.” she lets out without once stopping to take a breath. 

They could be anyone, but from what little Maddie remembers they don’t exactly sound familiar, at least not the pair of them. More than likely they’ll be back tonight, if they aren’t already outside waiting. Kate looks out the window as if they’ll just appear.

Taking a deep breath, trying to steel herself for the fight ahead, she looks to poor frazzled Maddie and pulls out a couple bills from her wallet, sliding it across the table.

“I’m going to need to use your back door.”

She makes it all the way inside her apartment before they appear, kicking in her door. They don’t bother chatting before rushing her fangs out. 

Kate’s ready for them though, a gun she picked up after almost getting mugged in hand she starts shooting. It might not kill them, but it’ll slow them down long enough for her to get to that part.

The first one isn’t expecting it, standing close enough that she easily manages a headshot. She’ll have to put a stake in his chest before leaving.

The second one with a beard is a little more prepared after getting over the shock of his friend going down. She shoots twice, only one hits him in the shoulder, causing him to hiss in pain. Great now he’s angry. 

Knocking the gun out of her hands, he grabs her around the waist before she even has a chance to start hitting him. She lets her body go limp, the sudden dead weight of her has both of them falling to the floor when his injured shoulder can’t take the extra weight. He ends up on top of her, body pinning her to the floor. 

While trying to scramble away nne of his hands wrapped around her wrist, skin on skin, and Kate lets instinct take over. Letting the fear of whatever these men want her for, because they clearly want her alive, flood through her and she finally gives in to feed the hunger that she’s denied since that night with the mugger so many weeks ago. It all happens fast after that.

There’s a choked pained groan from the man, as the veins in his hand stand out, creeping all the way down into his shirt. Without looking Kate knows his face will look the same. 

Then she just feels, tasting his soul, watching memories that don’t belong to her race across her mind. Learns he doesn’t know who ordered him to come after her, focusing in on that she tries to hold onto that strand of images. He only knew that he was to find the girl, he’s to bring her back. That's orders, and it’s all he’s able to think about since, Find the girl, Find the girl, Find the girl. It’s a constant chant running through his mind, one he couldn’t shake. Ignoring how disturbing that is Kate notes, that it’s not just him and his partner that have been sent for her, they’re others combing the state in search.

And Red eyes. She sees red eyes in his mind.

Suddenly the body pinning her goes limp, dead for good. She can still taste him on her tongue. She hates it. Hates how a part of her, revels it. 

Squeezing her eyes shut tight, she tries to breathe to get ahold of herself. Tries to, for one goddamn minute be okay. When she opens her eyes again the memories no longer cloud her vision, just a faint awareness of them in the back of her head.

Pushing the body off of her was near impossible five minutes ago, and now it’s like tossing off a blanket. Standing takes a little more effort with how bad her legs are shaking, but manages to force herself up and forward grabbing a stake from the counter, pushing it into the chest of the one she shot till he goes up in dust.

She knows she doesn’t have to with the other, but for peace of mind she stabs him to. 

Then in a mad scramble feeling more alive than she has in weeks Kate grabs her bags, shoves the gun in her pants and hightails it to the car. 

Her life here is over, no point in sticking around for the police to show up.

She doesn’t stop glancing in her rearview mirror for hours.

When Seth decided to stay with Richie and run their own little part of the culebra empire he hadn’t expected so much damn paperwork. Like dealing with those uppity lords wasn’t bad enough.

Right now all he wanted was a drink. Running a hand over his head he turned to Richie who walked into the office waving waving around some disk and envelope.

“What’s that?”

“No clue, it was just dropped off at the bar.” 

“Don’t we have people to deal with this kind of stuff for us now? Have one of the guys watch it and tell us if it’s of any importance.”

Richie just glared at him, well that was fine he wasn’t too pleased with him either. 

“It’s addressed to both of us with no return address, and all it had was this dvd in it. They brought it to me, weren’t too sure if they should watch it.” Richie shrugged. “No one seems to have noticed who dropped it off.” 

“What?”

“Ginger just found it on the bar when she went to pick up a drink order.” Alright that was a little interesting.

“Well put it in then.”

Seth goes ahead and pours them both a drink as Richie messes with the computer. It’ll probably turn out to be from the lords, relaying orders through video seems like some asshole thing they’d do. 

The video on the screen is just white fuzz at first, and he was starting to think it was a waste of time. Seth’s about to tell Richie to not even bother with it after all when the feed clears up if a little fuzz at the edges, bringing to light the inside of what looked to be some old restaurant. 

They both sat back and watched for a moment seeing nothing of interest besides people eating before a woman with a shock red hair walked into the picture, takes a seat in a booth with the ease of someone who visited the place on a regular basis. It was nothing to take note of till the the video stilled and zoomed in on the woman's face which was turned towards the camera. A wave of Shock rolled through his body at the same Richie sucked in a sharp breath.

Richie jumped from his seat, and slowly moved toward the frozen image on the screen, as if any sudden movement might make it disappear. 

“No way,” was all his younger brother could manage to say, Seth could understand his disbelief, he himself couldn’t quite find his words yet. 

“When was this taken?”

“It’s dated two days ago.”

Richie looked back at him then, and just like that the Gecko brothers were on the same page again.

It had been six months since they’d last seen that face but there was no mistaking her. Kate was alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the Geckos showed up for a moment. From now on they'll take more of a role in the story.

**Author's Note:**

> tell me what you think


End file.
